Job Discussion Forums

OneJoelFifty · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463

Mushroom, my interview was last week. Where was yours based?

seklarwia · Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:56 pm Post subject:

mushroomyakuza · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 140

Informative replies, thanks guys.

Cornish, I feel very sorry for your friend who has to teach the same lesson so many times. I think I'd go mad.

seklarwia · Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:03 pm Post subject:

mushroomyakuza · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 140

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

seklarwia · Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:30 am Post subject:

@Mushroomyakuza

I had her too. But she was really friendly at our session. My interview went on way longer than it was supposed too, because we were chatting too much. She told me in the interview that she was pretty sure that I was hired, but that of course she had to run it by head quarters first. Perhaps because I was in one of the last groups to be interviewed that year, she didn't have to worry about giving too much away.

The only thing that was uncomfortable about the session was one of the other interviewees, who I'm pretty sure had severe ADHD and kept on making the most innappropriate comments, randomly lauging or interrupting Hilary mid sentence with nothing to really say.

What exactly was it that made you uncomfortable about her and the session?

mushroomyakuza · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 140

Mostly just the nerves. I was worried about the demo, just felt really self conccious teaching a group of make believe children. I also didn't have a tie and wasn't quite as sharply dressed as everyone else. Most people were in Apprentice-like business suits, while I went in smart trousers, shirt and pull-over, but no tie.

Then the interview itself was some questions I just wasn't expecting. In the past, when I've been interviewed by TEFL organisations, I've always felt some kind of rapport between the interviewer and myself, but this time I just felt like I was being put under a microscope and examined. Didn't like it. Perhaps it's cos, as she told us, she's not a TEFL teacher, but a recruiter. Who knows. Bottom line though, I don't think I got the job.

OneJoelFifty · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463

I live in London but for some reason they made me travel up to Oxford!

Hilary did the first part with us, in the morning the four of us sat in a presentation room and went through the Interac presentation, which felt as though it was selling the idea of working with Interac to us as much as it was an interview. I was there with another guy and two girls. How many did you have in your group?

In the afternoon we had our individual interviews, and they were with Maria. We were allowed to retake our demos if we wanted but I did mine in one take and Maria said it was fine, so fingers crossed. I think my referees were contacted this week so I assume that's a good sign (i.e. I didn't do so badly at the interview that they didn't bother).

seklarwia · Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:17 pm Post subject:

OneJoelFifty · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463

I heard back from the Tokyo office today, with mixed news.

They are unable to offer me anything that doesn't require driving, and I don't have a licence. Apparently this year there's been an unusually high number of people renewing their contracts (no surprise really). Due to my low standard of Japanese (and zero teaching experience!) they can offer me a rural or possibly on the rural side of suburban placement, hence the need for a car.

I'm going to look at doing an intensive driving course in the new year, which is something I've had in mind to do anyway. The guy from the office was friendly and said we'll keep in touch and review things from January onwards with a view to finding something suitable for me.

Anyone else from the recent rounds of interviews heard back?

Beckyyy · Joined: 27 Oct 2009 Posts: 4

seklarwia · Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:02 pm Post subject:

Amarok · Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 3:08 am Post subject:

OneJoelFifty · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463

My interview was on the 12th November, so this is what I was told once I'd been through that process, they'd followed up my references and then sent everything off to the placement department. It wasn't a "you can't be hired" so much as a "let's wait and see what we can get for you."

Seklarwia, yeah I've done the research, thanks! I wouldn't do it purely for the opportunity to work for Interac, but it is something that's been on my mind to do for a while now anyway. Living in London and having been to university here as well it's not something I've needed, although I feel that I ought to.